Dress code
The term dress code (Engl. Dress code ) called rules and regulations to the desired clothes in private, social, cultural and business environment.
The term also describes rules regarding clothing that do not exist by law or decree, but based on softer factors: based on convention , based on the need for conformity , based on a tacit agreement, a social consensus (or a consensus in a social one Group) or expectations z. B. an organizer or an employer.
The standards of dress code may vary by country, region, religion, ethnic group, company, guild or industry affiliation. In some regions z. For example , it is desirable to wear a traditional costume to public events, but outside of these regions it is felt to be inappropriate or even frowned upon. Existing dress codes are also often subject to fashion influences and the zeitgeist (e.g. cylinder , walking stick ).
elements
The clothing symbol system is based on the variety of clothing: narrow or loose, long or short, monochrome or patterned or colorful, shiny or matt. Different meanings are attached to the different shapes, colors and textiles depending on culture and convention : new or familiar, male or female, everyday or solemn, as well as associations relating to social status. Roland Barthes has dealt particularly intensively with clothing as a system of signs.
A dress code is the entirety of the emblematic elements in a clothing style or in an individual's wardrobe. Overall, it encompasses the diversity of the overall external appearance, i.e. all items of clothing, accessories and other items ( body language or body design ) in addition to the overall appearance, individual items of clothing, headgear, haircut, colors and brands. The dress code does not just represent hierarchical requirements within the social systems (rank, title, insignia , medal, salary), but is also necessary for orientation and functional delimitation within the social systems. Therefore, various subcultures and scenes as well as “proper” work, business, leisure and party clothing differ.
history
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Originally, the dress code was a decree that stipulated the permitted clothing and jewelry for the individual estates , for example the imperial decree of 1530:
- "... that everyone, whatever their dignity or their origin, should be carried out according to their status, honor and ability, so that in each status there may be different understandings [...]"
In addition to religious and moral reasons, social considerations played a role: if, for example, a citizen in a free imperial city became impoverished through a lavish lifestyle, he became a burden for city welfare. Dress codes were also an instrument of protectionism : many valuable materials (such as silk ) had to be imported from other countries, which led to an undesirable outflow of purchasing power abroad. In the Imperial Dress Code of 1577 it was said: "This is how the golden cloths / velvet / dammast / atlaß / frembde cloths / delicious berets / precious stones / Untzgold / an excessive amount of money from the German nation is carried out". At the same time, the different clothes made the social hierarchy visible to the outside world.
Even in ancient times there were dress codes according to social status . The dress codes only became a recurring part of general legislation in the 14th century, in Germany it was probably first the Speyr and Frankfurt ordinances of 1336 and Göttingen with decrees of 1340 and 1342. From Italy, Spain and France are legal provisions on the Clothing known as early as the 13th century. Clothing regulations were enacted by sovereigns, diets and city councils until the end of the 18th century.
In 808, Charlemagne issued an “ Expense Act ” which stipulated how much each stand was allowed to spend on its clothing. For prostitutes and Jews , dress codes such as the yellow ring had been in effect since the Middle Ages at the latest . In Speyer and Strasbourg women were forbidden to have long, loose hair in 1356. In Strasbourg in 1370, underwear that lifted breasts was banned.
In the 16th century, Spain, France, Italy and England forbade their subjects to use gold and silver brocades and embroidery with gold and silver threads. In the war of the farmers of Langensalza in 1524 they asked in vain to be allowed to wear the red scarf of the upper class. In 1530, the Augsburg Reichstag passed a comprehensive revision of the costumes, which was renewed in 1548. In the 17th century, there were increasing restrictions on luxury in Europe, also for religious reasons. Lace was banned in Spain and France, especially those from Belgium. In the 18th century, powdered hair and wearing a sword were a privilege of the higher classes. However, as a result of the ideas of the Enlightenment , these professional regulations increasingly wavered, and the French Revolution shook them completely.
The fur , often a component of the scabbard, as trimmings, trimmings or as fur lining, found particular attention in the dress codes . The Reichspolizeiordnung of 1530 shows the fur hierarchy in relation to the social ranking:
| Company rank | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Noble | Back marten | - |
|
Citizens of the council , of gender or of other noble origin and those who live on pensions |
Back marten | Squirrel fur (Feh) |
| Merchants, craftsmen in the council | Throat marten | Squirrel fur (Feh) |
| Craftsmen and their journeymen and servants, common citizens | high quality lambskin , fox fur and polecat fur | - |
| Farmers, day laborers | - | Lambskin, goatskin ("bad beltz") |
Examples
In restaurants, for example, workwear makes it possible to distinguish between waiter and guest, as it also identifies railway employees as a contact person or a member of the military through his uniform . The dress code also defines social spaces (uniform and tails, costumes , habit of religious and veils of virgins , priestly clothing, in some countries also belonging to a caste ). Clothing can indicate belonging to population groups, religions and traditions ( veils , turban , common clothing features of e.g. Amish , old colonial Mennonites , Mennonites of the old order and Hutterites ). Clothing regulations can also exclude ( Jewish hat , Jewish star , convict clothing ).
Elements of clothing also signal a role-specific membership and assignment to one or more groups, to hierarchically ordered groups (status, shift, class, caste, etc.) and to groups that exist side by side with equal rights. These social references conveyed by the dress code signal claims to a social status by doing justice to the group's dress code. This makes it possible to simulate a social status that should be avoided by dress codes ( Hauptmann von Köpenick ); until today z. B. certain uniforms and traditional costumes as emblems or symbols of an office, which are not only due to convention, but also under criminal law, may not be worn by everyone. Wearing certain uniforms, signs or badges, such as those from the time of National Socialism , is prohibited in Germany.
Modern dress codes
Expressly required dress codes
Today, dress codes in the sense of regulations exist more in the context of events or in working life.
In the area of events, dress codes should create a special, mostly festive atmosphere. The desired type of clothing is sometimes stated on invitations, but compliance with the appropriate dress code is often tacitly assumed. In casinos , for example, there is often a dress code that requires male visitors to wear a jacket and tie .
In working life, the clothing of the employees is adapted to the desired image , corporate culture or corporate identity of a company according to the employer's regulations . Very different standards can be prescribed here, from the required color choice to a particular style or certain items of clothing, the prohibition of individual items of clothing to wearing a uniform . An employer can set quite extensive requirements for this within the framework of his management rights.
Sports
Practically all sports in which organized competitions are carried out have dress codes. These are often not perceived as such by the audience (shin guards for football or the same jersey color for a team, wearing a vest and bow tie).
In the field of team sports (e.g. handball , football , hockey ), the teams are identified by their clothing, usually the color of their jerseys. These are agreed before the game or competition, whereby the club colors are often used. The home team usually has the right to choose their color. If they do not wear a reserved color, referees should use a different color from the teams involved. In principle, the referee is responsible for compliance with the dress code. He checks the completeness and correctness of the players' clothing before the start of the competition.
Sometimes the dress codes also go beyond the concerns of functionality and safety. In aesthetic sports, such as dance , a dress code regulates very precisely from which starting class (performance level) and starting group (age classification) certain items of clothing may or must be worn. In addition, there is the transmission of gender roles. Until the rule change in 2004, women in figure skating were obliged to wear a skirt in the competition program, since then skirts, trousers or jerseys have been allowed. Also, cuts for dresses, heel heights and the type of make-up in the starting groups for children and young people are precisely regulated (for reasons of youth protection ). Male figure skaters must wear pants. Accessories such as hats, stoles, sticks, etc. are only permitted during the exhibition.
Dress codes are particularly noticeable in sports that have a tradition or want to emphasize it: At the Wimbledon Championships , a rule was for a long time, according to which the clothing of tennis players should be 90% white. Since the 1990s, this rule has gradually been relaxed (fashion, sponsors); however, it has been paying more attention again since 2010. This is also evident in equestrian sports and driving sports . There the dress code according to the performance test regulations of the German Equestrian Association applies , which stipulates the clothing of the athletes.
Dress codes can be used to improve the reputation of a sport or to give it a serious face. For example, in darts, there is a rule in various competitions that the players must appear in black long trousers and black closed shoes .
Dress codes don't just apply to the athletes, however. Sometimes there are also dress codes for referees, tournament directors, judges and judges. Today, however, they are subject to the dictates of the major sports fashion manufacturers, so the football referees abandoned the tradition of wearing black.
Examples of common dress codes
Business
- Sporty and elegant (English smart casual ) - more casual business outfit. The gentleman wears a day suit with shirt , closed shoes, prefers subtle colors, ties are possible. The lady wears a costume or trouser suit and can combine another top instead of the blouse.
- Creative casual (English) - in creative industries such as advertising, information technology (especially web design) and television, a variant of sporty elegant that has been popular since the late 1990s. The gentleman wears a T-shirt or polo shirt and jacket, polo shirt or long-sleeved shirt, jeans and closed leather shoes or sneakers. The lady wears a skirt or long trousers with the top.
- Office clothing (English business casual ) - a widely fluctuating definition that can mean almost anything between full business clothing and smart casual . On the US West Coast, this can sometimes even mean shorts, high-quality sandals and T-shirts ; in Europe, however, in some cases only the temporary permission to do without a tie and suit jacket.
- Business clothing (English Business attire ) - costume or suit and tie
- The Casual Friday comes from North America and is practiced there in some companies since the 1950s practice, according to more casual or Friday because of the upcoming weekend sportier clothes must be worn.
Private
In the overview, for men (with approximate English equivalents):
| Formality (decreasing) | During the day (daywear) | Eveningwear |
|---|---|---|
| Formal: large formal suit | Cutaway (morning dress) | Tailcoat (white tie) |
| Semi-formal: small formal suit | Stresemann (Stroller) | Tuxedo (black tie) |
| Informal: evening wear | Men's suit (lounge suit) | |
- “White tie”, “Cravate blanche”, “large formal suit ”: formal evening wear (serious and festive), tailcoat for men and long evening dress for women
- Cutaway ("morning dress") as a large or Stresemann as a small social suit for formal and festive occasions in the morning or early afternoon (especially weddings)
- “Black tie”, “cravate noire” or “formal suit”: formal (serious and festive), a tuxedo for men (tuxedo only from 6:00 p.m.) and a long evening dress for women, which can be strapless
- Evening wear : dark suit (with tie) for men and cocktail dress for women
- Beer suit - suit pants , polo shirt or shirt, jacket from a suit (not necessarily the same fabric as the pants) or blazer , leather shoes
- Light beer suit : comfortable trousers (including jeans ), polo shirt or shirt, jacket (if possible, something rough). Instead of the jacket, a little patterned cardigan or a finely patterned wool sweater to wear on, low shoes.
Examples of technically required dress codes
- for soldiers ( uniform to identify them as combatants in accordance with the Geneva Conventions )
- in hospitals , especially for doctors and nursing staff
- in nuclear power plants and other facilities that work with radioactive substances
- in mines ; in metal processing; in electroplating ; in semiconductor factories
- in food factories; in laboratories; in chemical plants
- in factories that build spacecraft and for astronauts
- in service companies, for example post offices , trains and the fire brigade
In terms of labor law, this also stands for the difference between protective clothing and uniforms . Protective clothing is prescribed by the accident insurance and must be provided and paid for by the employer (e.g. surgical clothing that is intended to protect against contact with patient's blood). Uniforms, on the other hand, only serve to comply with the employer's dress code. According to collective agreements, it is usually to be acquired and maintained by the employee.
In companies with a works council, a dress code is subject to co-determination, derived from Section 87 (1) 1 BetrVG ("Questions relating to the organization and behavior of employees in the company").
Dress code based on convention and understanding
Often, compliance with dress codes is tacitly expected when one enters a social situation that assumes a social role or function in a company.
Overall societal and milieu-specific dress codes can also result from tacit agreement and the need for conformity as an expression of belonging. These dress codes are often not perceived as such, but nonetheless have a stereotypical character, which are often stylized into clichés in the external perception and description .
Cultural, subcultural, intellectual and political groups often develop their own dress codes. These dress codes differ from the general standard outside of the group and are intended to indicate that they belong to the group externally or internally (including through secret dress codes). The dress codes are often perceived by the group members as a collective aesthetic expression of their individual attitude towards life and characterize the individual beyond the group as an individualist in that he has the courage to confess to a minority of a self-chosen lifestyle group. An example of this are student associations (see: Couleur ) and their dress code as well as the dress codes of different scenes in youth culture , e.g. B. the punk , gothic or skater scene.
In the Abrahamic religions there are rules of clothing for places of worship. In Judaism, men cover their heads in the synagogue (or when praying in general) with the kippah or tallit , a prayer shawl. Male Christians bare their heads in the church, while Christian women of many denominations cover their hair in the church with a veil , a cloth or a mantilla (communion veil ), among others in the Orthodox Church , the Catholic Church , the Brethren , among the Russian Baptists , the Mennonites , the Amish and the Hutterites . It is also considered improper to enter a church in clothing with bare shoulders, low-cut dresses or tops, shorts or skirts. The same is also prohibited when entering Buddhist temples and is strictly controlled at temples frequented by tourists. One does not enter a mosque with shoes, women there wear a veil or at least a headscarf. Revealing clothing is also considered undesirable.
Failure to comply and the consequences
Failure to comply with the expressly or tacitly required dress code can be B. lead to the fact that visitors (at events, festivals , concerts , at audiences , casinos etc.) are not admitted. During important personal events, such as For example, in job interviews , inappropriate clothing can significantly reduce the chances of success.
Compliance with the dress code appropriate to the respective situation documents the willingness to adapt to the customs of the people adopting the order. Depending on the level of this expectation of adaptation or submission, the other's sanctions against actual or alleged violations are more or less rigid, which can range from undercooled treatment to complete exclusion from society. The dress code thus symbolically reflects the interpersonal behavior of the group concerned and must be consistent with the ideals of behavior it represents; it is also a means of documenting inclusion and exclusion: knowing which clothes are considered appropriate in certain social situations also documents belonging to a certain social class and social group and is therefore closely related to habitus .
Those who do not adhere to the dress code are sometimes referred to as "underdressed". “Overdressed”, on the other hand, is someone who has chosen a clothing style that is too formal or too lavish for the occasion.
See also
literature
- Liselotte Constanze Eisenbart: Dress codes of the German cities between 1350 and 1700. Göttingen 1962 ( Göttinger Baussteine zur Geschichtswwissenschaft , 32).
- Roland Barthes : The language of fashion (original title: Système de la mode , translated in 1967 by Horst Brühmann). Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1985, ISBN 3-518-11318-6 .
- Birgit Richard: The superficial shells of the self. Fashion as an aesthetic-media complex . Online: Youth Culture Archive
- Horst Hanisch: The little outfit etiquette 2100: business people, clothing, style and form. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2014, ISBN 978-3-8334-1305-6 ( Horst Hanisch's little Knigge series , Volume 6).
- Esther Juhasz: Dress code. In: Dan Diner (Ed.): Encyclopedia of Jewish History and Culture (EJGK). Volume 3: He-Lu. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2012, ISBN 978-3-476-02503-6 , pp. 370-375.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Roman Imperial Majesty Order and Reformation of Good Policies, in the Holy Roman Empire, at Augburg Anno 1530 Auffgericht , at www.uni-muenster.de , accessed on September 18, 2017.
- ↑ Ingeborg Petraschek-Heim: dress codes . in: Franz C. Lipp et al. (Ed.): Traditional costume in Austria. History and present. Christian Brandstätter Verlag, Vienna 1984, ISBN 3-85447-028-2 , pp. 209–214, here p. 212
- ↑ Eva Nienholdt, Berlin: Fur in dress code. In: The fur trade. Volume XVI New Series, 1965, Issue 2, pp. 70–78.
- ↑ uibk.ac.at: Strasbourg dress code 1370 to 1493
- ↑ Charles V's police order from 1530 on Wikimedia Commons
- ↑ Philipp Zitzlsperger: Dürer's fur and the right in the picture . Akademie Verlag, Berlin, 2008, ISBN 3050045221 . Primary source: table taken from Bulst / Lüttenberg / Priever, 2002, p. 33
- ^ WestSpiel (Ed.): Dress code in the Duisburg casino . ( HTML [accessed September 30, 2012]).
- ↑ Revolution without rock , on bz-berlin.de
- ^ Hamburger Abendblatt: Untitled . ( Abendblatt.de [accessed on August 17, 2017]).
- ↑ VADIAN.NET AG: Figure skating: No more skirt requirement for figure skaters . In: www.news.ch . ( news.ch [accessed on August 17, 2017]).
- ↑ pdc-europe.tv: Etiquette